Chương 11

"Master Garrick, this is Elara, Dawnmere's newest apprentice. Master Cedric assigned her to assist you with tending the spirit plants." Henry led Elara along the raised paths between the fields until they reached a small wooden cabin deeper within the growing district. Inside, a broad, deeply tanned middle-aged man was taking a break. Garrick scratched his head and looked Elara over before glancing at the little straw servant behind her.

"She looks awfully delicate for a Spirit Gardener. Let me make one thing clear: if she can't do the work, I won't keep her here just because Cedric sent her."

"Don't worry. Elara was personally chosen by Master Cedric. She'll be fine," Henry assured him. After putting in a few good words for Elara, Henry took his leave. Garrick said nothing more. He stood and motioned for Elara to follow. They headed deeper into the growing district. The spirit fields outside Valehaven had been arranged according to both value and rank. Cheap, low-grade crops such as spirit rice were planted around the outer perimeter by smaller families.

The farther inward they traveled, the richer the soil became and the denser the surrounding spiritual qi grew. Rank One plants such as Glowmist Grass, which served as secondary ingredients in pills and elixirs, were cultivated throughout the inner sections. Garrick still didn't stop. He continued until they reached the boundary between the Rank One and Rank Two growing areas.

"I meant what I said before. If you can't do the work, I don't care which manager recruited you. I'll send you straight out of these fields." Elara acknowledged the warning. Only then did Garrick's stern demeanor ease slightly.

"That area over there belongs to the Rank Two fields. We grow Flamewyrm Fruit and Sevenstar Spice there. A few professional Spirit Gardeners and I are responsible for those crops, so you won't need to concern yourself with them." He pointed toward a lower section of the field, where several apprentices were already using various gardening arts.

"Your job is to help us tend the remaining Rank One plants. Most of our time goes toward the Rank Two crops, which means we can't always give these fields the attention they need. That's where you apprentices come in." Seven or eight apprentices were spread across roughly a third of an acre. Garrick stepped down from the raised path and pinched one of the nearby leaves between his fingers.

"See this? This is Mindveil Grass. It's related to the Glowmist Grass commonly grown around Valehaven, but it takes longer to mature and requires more careful attention. It's also an essential ingredient in several cultivation pills." Mindveil Grass and Glowmist Grass belonged to the same general family, but they were different varieties with different uses. Their size and overall appearance were fairly similar. The easiest way to tell them apart was by their leaves.

Glowmist Grass had uniformly green foliage, while the leaves of Mindveil Grass were covered in small purple speckles. At first glance, those marks looked like the symptoms of a pest infestation. In reality, they were simply part of the plant's natural appearance. As a Spirit Gardener, Elara was already familiar with both varieties. They were among Valehaven's signature crops, grown specifically for the Moonwatch Sect's alchemists and treated as strategic resources.

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"I'll remember that, Master Garrick." Elara nodded. Prim nodded as well. As it looked out over the vast spirit fields, the little construct's mouth stretched into a broad grin.

"That little thing is the straw servant you brought?" Garrick rubbed his chin.

"It knows how to behave, doesn't it? It isn't going to wander around damaging the plants?" Garrick specialized in elemental gardening arts such as Raincall, Rootmend, Soften Earth, and Metal Gathering. His own mastery of Grassweaving Art was comparatively limited.

"I've had several idiots weave straw servants and then leave them unsupervised. The damned things trampled several stalks of my Mindveil Grass."

"This one may be a little different," Elara explained. Prim promptly climbed down into the field. It lowered itself onto its stomach and carefully slid down the side of the raised path. Once it reached a stalk of Mindveil Grass, it imitated Garrick's earlier movements, extending one tiny hand to gently stroke a leaf.

"Well, look at that." Garrick studied the construct with renewed interest.

"That little thing behaves almost like something made by a proper Puppet Master. Not bad at all. Your Grassweaving Art alone is enough to make me reconsider you. Cedric appraises treasures for a living, and it seems his eye is as sharp as ever." His praise didn't last long before his tone turned serious again.

"But I still need to see whether your fundamentals are good enough. If they aren't, you'll have a hard time staying here."... Garrick dismissed the apprentices who had gathered to watch, then walked to a section of Mindveil Grass that hadn't yet been treated that day. He pointed to a small cluster.

"Use those ten or so plants. Your art needs to cover at least that much ground in a single cast if you want to qualify." At his instruction, Elara began.

"Raincall!" Her hands formed the required signs. Spiritual qi gathered overhead and condensed into a dense, dark cloud. Under Elara's deliberate control, the cloud covered exactly the cluster Garrick had indicated—no more and no less. She completed another hand sign. Rain poured from the cloud. The small patch of Mindveil Grass spread its leaves beneath the nourishing rain. The spiritual qi within the plants became noticeably stronger. [Raincall successfully cast. Proficiency +2.] [57/100]...

Next came Soften Earth. Garrick didn't need to prompt her. Elara formed the next set of hand signs on her own, guiding spiritual qi into the soil beneath the field. The packed earth around the plants loosened and shifted before settling smoothly back around their roots. The entire process flowed without interruption. [Soften Earth successfully cast. Proficiency +2.] [75/100] With a proper cultivation method supporting her, Elara could now use her gardening arts far more easily.

Her control was also much more precise than before. Garrick watched from the side, growing increasingly impressed.

"An apprentice sent by Cedric really is something else. He goes years without sending me anyone, and then the moment he finally does, I get someone like you. Your fundamentals are remarkably solid." As a ranked professional Spirit Gardener, Garrick had an experienced eye for cultivation arts. Whether it was the precision of Elara's control or the amount of qi she used, he could find almost nothing wrong with her performance.

"You can stay and help tend the plants here." Garrick gave an approving nod before adding, "Henry also told me that Cedric left three gardening-art manuals in my care. Spend the morning getting used to the work. At noon, come find me, and you can choose one to study." He pointed toward one corner of the field.

"For now, water the plants over there." This job is surprisingly easy. After giving his instructions, Garrick headed into the Rank Two growing area and disappeared among a grove of Flamewyrm Fruit trees. Elara turned her attention to the section she had been assigned. There weren't many plants in that corner, only twenty or thirty stalks. If she used Raincall at full range, she could cover all of them with a single cast.

Elara wasn't studying the field because she wanted to avoid work or save more time for cultivation. She was searching for plants that were already close to maturity. The growing district was enormous, and each section had progressed at a slightly different rate. Mindveil Grass had a longer cultivation cycle than Glowmist Grass, which meant individual casts granted less proficiency. Ideally, Elara wanted to find a patch with maturity somewhere around ninety.

One properly applied gardening art might be enough to mature the entire group and trigger random reward drops. That was the real reason she had been so eager to work in the spirit fields. For now, I should finish the task I've been given. Afterward, I can see whether there's any chance to take over a section with higher maturity. If there isn't, I'll just have to cultivate these plants gradually. Elara formed the hand signs for Raincall. A dark cloud appeared above the field.

She was about to increase her qi output and expand its range when a much larger cloud came wobbling toward hers— —and crashed straight into it.